By Nicole Mejia
Nine Latino parents completed the six month intensive training, congrats!
What does community mean? To Marque Jensen, executive director of the Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network, or MIFN, community means empowering immigrant families to dream despite their fears, to build community leaders, and to organize a community for change.
On a recent Sunday morning, members of the Immigrant Freedom Network group – “Padres Adelante” stood before a packed church and told stories of their class experiences. Saul y Ramona, parents who participated last year described their desire to become community leaders and how MIFN staff inspired them to speak proudly from the heart.
After mass, community members were encouraged to share their questions, concerns, hopes and fears.
A mother described her struggle between encouraging her children to get into community college by telling them to “study hard, it is the only way you will get a chance,” and being unsure of what is next for them due to their documentation status. Will they be eligible for college or scholarships? After they graduate, will they be able to get a job?
A father spoke softly at the podium as he shared how he came to the U.S. to give his children the opportunity for education and a promising future. Yet, he lives in fear due to a constant reminder of his potential for deportation, never knowing when he will be taken from his children and unable to promise them a stable future.
A college student, recognizing that this is what community looks like, spoke of his hope to get involved with MIFN.
Jensen said he hopes to educate citizens to look beyond how media portrays the Latino immigrant communities and to see their realities so that together they can create a more just community. “This is why MIFN exists, to walk alongside parents, families, and students . To dream, to know.”
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